Passengers of the Mango Airlines’ flight JE251 were thankful that the pilot managed to land the aircraft safely after a frightening experience.
Scary scenes inside depressurised Mango flight
For one, normal turbulence generally leaves passengers unsettled. It’s another thing when all of a sudden, thousands of feet above the ground, the plane loses cabin pressure.
The latter is what happened inside a Mango flight that departed from Johannesburg to Durban, on Monday afternoon. According to the low-cost airline, flight JE251 experienced depressurization mid-air, forcing an emergency landing.
A passenger was brave enough to whip out his phone and capture the dramatic scenes inside the Mango flight when everyone was instructed to place their designated oxygen mask over their mouth and nose.
Video as received https://t.co/pkG69z0DEH pic.twitter.com/cDD9O9nwc6
— Yusuf Abramjee (@Abramjee) January 25, 2021
In a statement, Mango revealed that the flight has been turned in for a technical investigation and more updates will be relayed “once the investigation is concluded.”
“We continue to cooperate with authorities on this investigation and any other pertinent matters. We regret the inconvenience,” Mango wrote in a tweet.
What happens when a flight experiences depressurisation?
Cabin pressure loss is not a common fault in aircraft incidences. A pressurisation system pumps filtered air inside the cabin, making it easier for passengers to breathe at high altitudes.
If this fails, for any reason, the cabin will experience a loss of oxygen. In some cases, depressurization happens gradually and passengers may not notice the change in their breathing.
However, in other instances, like the Mango scare, cabin pressure loss occurs suddenly and things tend to get hasty with passengers reaching for oxygen masks in a panic to avoid unconsciousness.
The dangers of what happened on flight JE251 can’t be understated. We expect to get more information on the incident from Mango.
Some of the passengers on the flight took to social media to share their experience. Here’s what they said:
Thanks to the crew for ensuring that everyone arrives safely. "If you can walk away from a landing, it's a good landing." (Unknown)
— Jabulani M Nkuna (@Jabulaninkuna) January 25, 2021
The experience was the traumatic , worst it was delayed by 30 minutes before departing . If you guys noticed it was faulty why didn’t you change flights?
— Mahlatse Keitu (@mahlatse_keitu) January 25, 2021